Too Corny For Words?

Every year I write about my love affair with corn . I don’t know why, maybe because each summer when I take that first juicy bite it reminds me of childhood, warm summer days and simplicity. Oh, and it’s just plain good!

Another thing corn reminds me of is how delicious fresh produce can be, and how easy it is to prepare. In most cases it only takes a few minutes to make a delectable summer treat – even year round. When I get the winter blahs, I have to remember that scrumptious, nutritious fresh produce is just a Whole Foods ride away. (In Vermont, we fire up the grill even in two feet of snow!)

Here are some of my personal favorites. They’re easy, delish and filling. Ok, they’re healthy eating too, but that’s just a bonus.

Grilled asparagus – If you want to, you can blanch first, but you really don’t have to. Simply brush with light olive oil, place on the grill and let nature take it’s course. Is there anything better than grilled asparagus?

Baked kale – Try it instead of potato chips. No, really! This is a Green Mountain at Fox Run favorite. Toss in light olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Spread out onto a large cookie sheet and begin baking in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. Turn the delecate kale over and bake another 5 minutes and then you’ll want to baby sit. They can go from a divine crisp to ‘burnt to a’…in very short order. Light as air, crunchy and divine.

White or baby yellow corn on the cob scrubbed with lime. Fresh picked if you can get it. (When I was young we stole corn out of our neighbor’s field — maybe not a good idea at 50 ;-). Squish a quartered lime all over the cob and sprinkle lightly with sea salt — or not. Just like buttah, only withthout the butter.

Grilled egg plant – Almost any vegetable is better grilled, and what could be easier than tossing along side a couple of turkey burgers? Slice you eggplant about 1/2 inch thick and baste with a good grade balsamic/olive oil mixture. Grill until you get those great tell-tale grill marks and the plant is tender and soft. Like candy!

Garden tomatoes eaten while gardening. Simply eat with a sprinkle of salt from a mini Morton’s salt shaker . Use sleeve as napkin.

My favorite grilled eggplant recipe is to toss the thing whole onto the grill, and cook it until it’s basically burnt all over (turning it occasionally). Remove from grill, place on serving plate, insert knife, and it pops open to juicy, almost creamy cooked eggplant that I just top with a little olive oil and salt. Delish!!

My favorites are to slice up a sweet potato, sprinkle it with cumin and black pepper, and bake it in the oven for about 25 minutes. Make some homemade ketchup and you’ve got a variation on French fries :)

Another good one is to boil/steam cauliflower, puree it in the blender, and then mash it up with garlic salt, black pepper, and laughing cow light cheese. It’s just like mashed potatoes!

Yesterday I whipped up some grilled zucchini — just sliced ’em up lengthwise (I got 4 ~1/4 inch slices out of a medium zucchini), brushed ’em with olive oil, a little salt, a little fresh cracked black pepper… they were to die for!

Ok, is it lunch time yet? I’m going to have to quit coming in here! Zucchini (thanks for spelling that correctly) is another favorite. My dad use to toss whole onions wrapped in foil on the grill too. Of course he plopped a teaspoon of butter inside, but you could stuff them with anything. Forget about them for about 30 minutes – really beautiful. Great if you just happen to be grilling steaks at the same time. ;-P

I remember growing up in the Garden State (that’s right New Jersey was famous for more than gangsters and loud mouthed “housewives”). Eating fresh produce in the summer was always a treat; corn, tomatoes, melons, peaches; it made summer a sweet time. My favorite, still to this day, is fresh fruit, and I will drive far and spend much to get the “goods”. It amazes me that the sugar in the fruit can satisfy my craving like no TastyCake ever could.

Where Successful Weight Management Starts

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